My Friday Five: On Apple & A Couple Of Firsts

10/28/2016

Photo: Chris White 1. #AppleEvent Part Dos Apple held yet another much anticipated keynote event on Thursday. The Cupertino, Cal...

Photo: Chris White

1. #AppleEvent Part Dos

Apple held yet another much anticipated keynote event on Thursday. The Cupertino, Calif. tech company's beloved MacBooks were the star of the show as expected. CEO Tim Cook and his cohorts revealed a long overdue update to the MacBook Pro. The new Pros' eye-catching feature is a "magic toolbar" - a.k.a. Touch Bar - that replaces the traditional function row keys at the top of the keyboard. The OLED touch display dynamically changes based on the program you're working in. So, for example, if I'm in Safari, the Touch Bar will show several options such as tabs and favorites that I can utilize with one touch as opposed to going through a bunch of menus and so on. The new machines also have better internals, with reportedly improved graphics and performance, all while maintaining solid battery life at a reported 10 hours. As per the usual with Apple, pricing is steep. The new Pros come in several configurations, starting with a Touch Bar-less model for $1,499. Want the Touch Bar? That'll set you back at least $1,799 depending on how you spec it out. The 15-inch model starts out at $2,499 and can balloon, once again, depending on how you spec it out.

2. Will I Get A MacBook?

I talked briefly a couple months ago about some computer woes I'd been experiencing. My Toshiba laptop is barely two years old and is on the brink of death, especially since I installed Windows 10. It has always had its quirks but it now will no longer run on the battery. I have to keep it plugged into the wall charger and a system menu comes up every time I boot it on, which requires me to exit out before it goes to the sign-on page. I've never really been a fan of the thing since I bought it and it has most definitely trained me to be a little more methodic when buying a laptop. Quite frankly, I'm not a fan of Win10. I hear people say good things about it but I've never liked it. Win7 was the best operating system I've ever worked with. Win10 is just a hot mess, in my opinion. I've been a PC guy exclusively but Win10 has made me want to go elsewhere. Plus, I already have an iPhone, so it would be nice to have everything together in the same computing ecosystem.

What's the problem? Well, I was a bit underwhelmed by Apple's reveal on Thursday. On one hand, the new Pros look pretty cool. On the other hand, do I really need all of that considering I don't do much on a computer nowadays, other than browse the Internet, blog and stuff like that? Apple did not update its Air and regular MacBook models so, if I go with one of those, I'm automatically behind technology-wise. Speaking of being behind technology-wise, I've seen numerous people bash Apple since the new Pros were revealed saying that Microsoft is now beating them in innovation, particularly with the inclusion of touchscreen technology. I'm sorry, but I don't like touchscreen laptops. If I want a touchscreen, I'll buy a tablet. Heck, the aforementioned Toshiba I have is a touchscreen and I think I've used the touchscreen part 10 percent of the time, if that. I think the Touch Bar is something a little more practical, at least, for the type of user I am.

Decisions, decisions. I'll let you know what happens.

3. My First Panthers Game

This Sunday, I'm attending my first ever Carolina Panthers game! I'm going to the game with a family member of mine and, although Carolina isn't doing as well as any us fans hoped, I can't wait to finally experience a Panthers game day at Bank of America Stadium. Now, you may know that I've been a Panthers fan for more than a decade, so you're probably asking: "Why is this just now your first game?" I don't know, honestly. There have been several factors, I guess. I'm putting all that aside this weekend, though, and I'll make sure to let you all know how it goes!

4. Cubs/Indians World Series

The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians are well into their World Series showdown. The teams combine for two of the longest championship-less streaks in professional sports - the Cubs' last title coming in 1908 and the Indians' 1948. Tonight is Game Three with the series tied and heading to Wrigley Field in Chicago. It should be a good one.

5. Congrats UNC Football

I want to send a big congrats to the UNC Football program on earning its 700th victory by downing Virginia last Saturday. The Heels, led by quarterback Mitch Trubisky, took care of business and will have a bye week this week before facing Coastal Division foe Georgia Tech on November 5.